Eights 1973

BUMPS CHARTS

STANDINGS Start Finish Pos College Pts Pts College 1 Christ Church 194 196 Christ Church 2 Keble 183 172 Oriel 3 Oriel 159 167 S.E.H. 4 University 159 166 Keble 5 S.E.H. 152 151 Balliol 6 Balliol 145 143 University 7 Wadham 128 131 Wadham 8 Queen's 126 113 Queen's 9 St John's 124 109 St John's 10 New College 105 108 Pembroke 11 Jesus 101 107 Magdalen 12 Merton 98 105 New College 13 Lincoln 98 104 Worcester 14 Pembroke 97 103 Lincoln 15 Brasenose 96 100 Jesus 16 Magdalen 91 91 Merton 17 Worcester 89 83 Brasenose 18 St Catherine's 83 82 Exeter 19 Exeter 81 73 St Catherine's 20 St Peter's 71 72 St Peter's 21 Trinity 55 57 Corpus Christi 22 Hertford 53 52 Hertford 23 Corpus Christi 49 51 Trinity 24 Osler House 26 27 Osler House 25 Mansfield 10 12 Mansfield 26 Wolfson 3 3 Wolfson 27 Linacre 2 2 Linacre 28 Regent's Park 2 2 Regent's Park 29 Manchester 1 1 Manchester

STATISTICS College All Crews [ ]=ranking Crews Bps Avg S.E.H. 6[ 2] 15[ 1] 2.50[ 4] Oriel 5[ 4] 11[ 2] 2.20[ 5] Corpus Christi 3[17] 9[ 3] 3.00[ 2] St Peter's 5[ 4] 9[ 3] 1.80[10] Wolfson 1[26] 6[ 5] 6.00[ 1] Worcester 3[17] 6[ 5] 2.00[ 6] Magdalen 3[17] 6[ 5] 2.00[ 6] Pembroke 6[ 2] 6[ 5] 1.00[11] Mansfield 2[24] 4[ 9] 2.00[ 6] Linacre 1[26] 3[10] 3.00[ 2] Regent's Park 1[26] 2[11] 2.00[ 6] Jesus 4[14] 2[11] 0.50[12] Wadham 5[ 4] 2[11] 0.40[14] Osler House 2[24] 1[14] 0.50[12] Trinity 3[17] 1[14] 0.33[15] Lincoln 5[ 4] 1[14] 0.20[16] Merton 4[14] -1[17] -0.25[17] Christ Church 5[ 4] -2[18] -0.40[18] Manchester 1[26] -2[18] -2.00[25] New College 4[14] -3[20] -0.75[19] Hertford 5[ 4] -4[21] -0.80[20] St John's 5[ 4] -7[22] -1.40[22] Keble 7[ 1] -8[23] -1.14[21] Balliol 5[ 4] -8[23] -1.60[23] Exeter 3[17] -8[23] -2.67[27] University 5[ 4] -9[26] -1.80[24] St Catherine's 3[17] -9[26] -3.00[28] Brasenose 3[17] -10[28] -3.33[29] Queen's 5[ 4] -13[29] -2.60[26]

Notes

• Wed 30 May – Sat 2 June 1973
• Division times: 1:00, 1:40, 2:15, 2:50, 3:25, 4:00, 4:35, 5:15, 6:00
• Osler House promoted from Div VI (1972) to bottom of Div III.

• The Times Wed 30 May, by Jim Railton

  Christ Church poised to regain head title

  Christ Church, with four Blues, are strong favourites for the head title in the Oxford summer eights, which start today. The head crew, Keble, are well below the strength they have been able to muster in recent years.

  Christ Church, who were deposed by Keble on the last day of the competition last year, should take their revenge today and hold off all other challengers throughout the competition. The new Oxford President, David Sawyier, anchors the Christ Church crew at six, with the Blues Nevin (stroke), Westlake and Bolshaw giving muscle to the crew.

  Keble suffered a bad blow on Friday with the withdrawal of the 1972 Oxford stroke, Michael Baines, through injury. Apart from Hunt, a 1972 Blue, the remainder of the Keble crew are relatively inexperienced. By Thursday, Keble are likely to find Oriel snapping at their heels, and if Keble succumb, other challengers could send the head crew farther down the chart.

  The Wadham crew, stroked from bowside by Milman, look capable of challenging Balliol for a place in the first five, with University College and Oriel likely to be locked in combat today over the full course to decide who will take the second bite at Keble.

  The tail of the first division, too, promises some action with Worcester, St Edmund Hall, and Magdalen bristling with enough ambition to make the Jesus eight and St John's fell insecure.

  The order of starting is:[...]

• The Daily Telegraph Wed 30 May, by Desmond Hill

  The House look to Sawyier

  It took Keble until the last night last year to regain the headship they lost in 1971 after a three-year reign in the Oxford Summer Eights. The signs are that their current tenure could be one of the shortest on record.

  Though they have been elusive in training Keble are widely reported to be disappointing and likely to prove easy meat for Christ Church. The House, however, are far less polished than of late and look anything but certainties.

  However, they include the new Oxford president Dave Sawyier, of Harvard, as well as two other Blues of an earlier vintage, S. Nevin and K. Bolshaw, and such is the American's reputation it is probably worth rowing in with him to maintain his unbeaten record in domestic events.

  It is a long time since Oriel had a rowing blue but their spirit keeps them in the top bracket and they should certainly end the week no lower than their starting position of third. [Starting Order].

• The Times Thu 31 May, by Jim Railton

  Five of top division surrender

  Keble, despite a last minute reshuffle in their crew and a change in rig, were unable to hold off the predictably strong challenge from Christ Church in the opening day of the Oxford summer eights yesterday.

  The Keble crew, who started Head, were overhauled after reaching the Gut, which was the scene of most of the first division action yesterday. Altogether, five first division crews surrendered, leaving only Oriel, Wadham and Lincoln to row over in the top division.

  Keble face a second onslaught today from Oriel, who were fast off the start in yesterday's race, and claimed to be half a length up on Christ Church when the House took Keble's scalp. [Bumps Chart]

• The Daily Telegraph Thu 31 May, by Desmond Hill

  Keble soon caught

  Keble surrendered the Oxford Summer Eights headship in under two minutes last night, when Christ Church caught them before the University Stone. As Oriel had closed noticeably on The House, the Keble slide must surely continue.

  Oriel were badly baulked, but negotiated the pile-up safely. However, there was wholesale carnage behind. Balliol caught a low-rating University at Tims, which means that Wadham, for only the second time in five years, had to row the full distance.

  Jesus were on Queen's rudder leaving the Gut, but had to go another 300 yards before making contact, while Magdalen caught St John's at almost the same point. Worcester, threatened by the newly-arrived Lincoln, demolished St Edmund Hall below the Stone.

  Trinity fall

  Lincoln made short work of Merton to become First Division sandwich boat, while other exlies, New College, at last started to climb again with a bump off St Catherine's in the Gut. Trinity, however, fell out of the Second Division when caught by Hall II at the O U B C. [List of Bumps]

• The Times Fri 1 June, by Jim Railton

  Oriel earn chance to challenge leaders

  Keble, who started head crew on Wednesday in the Oxford summer eights, took a second step down the ladder yesterday when they were overhauled by Oriel. The Keble eight succumbed before the Gap [? presumably Gut] was reached, allowing Oriel to take a crack today at Christ Church to challenge for the headship.

  But Oriel will have to draw deeply on the spiritual strength with which they are obviously endowed to catch Christ Church. Oriel include, among their three coaches, the Lord Bishop of Buckingham [Pepys], but, in spite of the faith they have in themselves, they are unlikely to find Christ Church in charitable mood today.

  It seems sad that Keble are unable to include the Blue Steve Irving in their crew. Irving, a member of the national party is under the impression that he is not eligible for his college eight. This would seem an obvious case for relaxing restrictions on national squad oarsmen which bars them from competing outside the squad's programme. Keble are likely to be caught today by Balliol, who rowed over yesterday.

  Other bumps in the first division yesterday were made by Wadham, Magdalen and Worcester at the expense of University College, Queen's and St John's. Magdalen look capable of continuing their phenomenal rise over the last two years with the Jesus eight firmly in their sights today. [Bumps Chart]

• The Daily Telegraph Fri 1 June, by Desmond Hill

  Oriel catch Keble

  Again surviving for less than two minutes, when they were caught by Oriel, Keble allowed Christ Church an untroubled row-over on the second night of the Oxford Summer Eights yesterday.

  The crunch comes today, when Oriel chase Christ Church. Wadham were overlapping yesterday for a good 200 yards before catching University, who again mustered only 34.

  Behind these, Queen's came out of the Gut close to Jesus College, but Magdalen made up a length to catch them at the OUBC for their 13th success in 15 races.

  Worcester still strong

  Worcester gave St John's short shrift, and both they and Magdalen could repeat last year's maxima. At the foot Lincoln never looked like catching St Edmund Hall.

  In the second division Merton Brasenose and New College were only separated by half-lengths of clear water at Tims.

  But despite a desperate jink at the Pink Post, Brasenose succumbed for New College's second bump 30 yards out. Pembroke scored at Long Bridges. [List of bumps]

• The Times Sat 2 June, by Jim Railton

  Christ Church's power should assure headship

  The die must surely be cast for the headship in the Oxford Summer Eights, which end today. Christ Church, who took the lead from Keble within a few minutes on the opening day, held off yesterday's challenge from Oriel, just keeping their station distance.

  Oriel, with only two changes from last year's crew, who reached the semi-final round of the Ladies' at Henley, seemed to just lack the necessary power to usurp the Christ Church eight. Stroked by the lightweight Isis oarsman, Harris, Oriel are extremely quick off the mark but the flame within them began to flicker yesterday down the long final straight where Christ Church underrated them.

  Christ Church, on the other hand, with the American Olympic finallist Sawyier at six and three other Blues aboard, have the necessary horsepower to win the competition. Any tendencies, in fact, within the Christ Church eight to rest on laurels not yet quite achieved, will not last long with Sawyier in the boat. [Bumps Chart]

• The Daily Telegraph Sat 2 June, by Desmond Hill

  Oriel are no match for Christ Church

  Christ Church surely must finish head of the Oxford summer eights today, for yesterday, Oriel were at no time within their starting distance. The House were still striking 39 halfway up the Green Bank, but dropped to 32 along the Barges.

  Keble subsided once more at the Pink Post, but Magdalen and Worcester both registered third successes before the Gut. St Edmund Hall repaired Wednesday's damage by catching a fast-descending St John's, who could be booked for Division II.

  The two maxima in the Second Division belong to New College and St Catherine's, but unfortunately the latter's is a debit balance. New College caught Merton at the Pink Post, but Brasenose took Pembroke 100 yards further.

  Corpus escape

  Lower down Corpus escaped from Division III, leaving Trinity in their place. Exeter III went down again, but only one place, which was a novelty, as they had been over-bumped on Wednesday and Thursday. [List of Bumps]

• The Sunday Telegraph Sun 3 June

  Christ Church in command

  On the last day of summer rowing eights at Oxford, Christ Church were never in any danger of losing their place at the Head of the River and finished three lengths ahead of Oriel.

  The leading six crews were Christ Church, Oriel, Balliol, Keble, Wadham and Magdalen. In addition to Christ Church, the following crews gained their oars for making four or more bumps— Magdalen, Worcester, Corpus, St Edmund Hall III, Worcester II, Magdalen II, St John's III, Oriel III, Jesus III, Oriel IV, St Peter's III, Corpus III, Wolfson, Trinity III, St Peter's V.

• The Daily Telegraph Mon 4 June, by Desmond Hill

  Christ Church at Head

  Christ Church made absolutely sure of finishing head of the Oxford Summer Eights on Saturday.

  By holding their rate at 39 and going higher still at the O U B C, they were three lengths clear of Oriel and in no danger.

  There followed a long gap back to Balliol, after whom Keble arrested their slide by keeping away from Wadham. Magdalen and Worcester both earned their oars for the second successive year, and St Edmund Hall showed a net profit on the week by catching Queen's.

  Lincoln escape

  Queen's and St John's descended daily, St John's finally allowing Lincoln to escape [sic, presumably 'from the 2nd division'].

  New College, Pembroke, Exeter and the second boats of Oriel and the Hall all made three Second Division bumps, while Corpus registered an unaccustomed maximum.

  Christ Church, with four Blues, had power if less of their usual polish. It would have been interesting to test their pace against Worcester and Magdalen, but I doubt if they would have been troubled by either. [Head of the River Crew: as below] [Saturday Bumps] [Finish Order]

• The Times Mon 4 June contains just a bumps chart and no further details of Saturday's racing, the rowing correspondent, Jim Railton, having departed to report on Mannheim Regatta. His report from Mannheim suggest some regret ...

  .. But the weekend has been one of inevitable contrasts. Within a few hours I was transported from the gay and colourful scene of the Oxford Summer Eights to the drab Mühlauhafen course — a dock pinched between the Rhine and the Neckar...

• In other news ... [1973]

  Wed May 30

  Northern Ireland local elections: Election results are decided by proportional representation, using the single transferable vote system.

  Thu May 31

  Indian Airlines Flight 440 crashes on approach to Palam Airport, killing 48 of the 65 passengers and crew on board. The dead include India's Minister of Iron and Steel Mines, Mohan Kumaramangalam.

  Fri June 1

  The Greek military junta abolishes the monarchy and proclaims a republic.

  Sun June 3

  A Tupolev Tu-144 crashes at the Paris air show; 15 are killed.

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